Selling Architectural Dreams: Binyan Studios

Every architect requires vision. However, in today’s design centric culture, this vision – no matter how clear – needs to be created and shared digitally before it can ever be realised in the real world. Sydney based Binyan Studios (Binyan) is a world leader in bringing architectural imagination to life through photorealistic 3D imagery and animation. Adobe Creative Cloud supports Binyan’s world-class artists to unlock their creativity and bring beauty, sophistication and realism to the vision of their clients.

“We’re selling a dream, really. Adobe helps us create the dream”.

Binyan: A Glance

Binyan is an architectural 3D rendering and animation powerhouse; one of the largest studios of its kind in the world. Boasting projects such as Sydney’s One Circular Quay, entire precincts in Saudi Arabia, the multi-billion-dollar Hudson Yards and the recently-unveiled Snøhetta residential skyscraper on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the one hundred-strong creative team works on some of the most highly anticipated projects globally across its Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and New York studios.

Culture, Collaboration and the Creative Challenge

Binyan brings together a team of world-class artists, each of whom are a true master of their craft. From creative and production directors to industrial designers and 3D modellers, Binyan’s team is a highly specialised and highly diverse one, each working towards the same creative goal.

The Binyan team ensures that all objects work in harmony to tell a compelling and meaningful story. A real story. This provides the challenge – collaborating to create the details that define reality, and mastering their craft with cutting edge technology.

Streamlining the Creative Process

Adobe Creative Cloud understands that a streamlined workflow between a modern design team like Binyan Studios’ is vital. As such, it empowers the team to collaborate globally and facilitates a streamlined creative process.

To create its remarkable photorealistic images, Binyan takes 2D architectural drawings and translates them into 3D models. Its team of artists then uses 3D rendering software together with Adobe Creative Cloud software to turn these models into the final product.

Adobe Creative Cloud enables Binyan’s talented artists to execute sophisticated digital design and realistic concept visualization through its ability to support meticulous detail. As such, it is an essential tool on each and every project.

“We’ve employed Adobe Creative Cloud since day one. I mean, I’ve been using it myself for 20 years,” says Andrei Dolnikov, Binyan Founder and CEO. “We use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects every day and couldn’t do what we do without them. They’re absolutely vital. No other software could handle the incredibly complex information contained within the texture, reflection, refraction, shading passes, and so on contained in every image or film we produce. Photoshop is where the magic happens”.

Evoking the Emotive Connection

For modern architects, the emotional connection is vital. As such, consideration is given to every surface texture, finish and light source, ensuring their images evoke warmth, ambience, beauty, and above all, reality. CEO, Dolnikov, explains that Adobe software helps Binyan bridge the gap between images that look completely real, and ones that feel completely real.

“There have been some projects that initially haven’t worked despite being completely physically correct 3D images,” says Dolnikov. “Somehow, in the brain of the viewer it didn’t feel real, or even worse, the viewer didn’t feel anything at all. There was no emotive impact. Adobe Photoshop gives us the artfulness and the flexibility we need to make sure the image also causes emotion. The 3D software provides the realism but using Photoshop in post-production provides the lyricism and the creativity that causes that connection”.

Empowering the Artist

Staying true to artist values, Binyan does not let technology solely control the creative process, but uses it as a tool to empower and enhance their creative minds.

CEO, Dolinikov, appreciates that what they do is a combination of both technology and talent, and it’s what the artist brings to the project that makes magic. Adobe Creative Cloud enables these artists, in becoming an extension of themselves.

The Future

Binyan has come a long way in its short history, and as the firm has grown and evolved, so too has Adobe’s offering. As the team developed its skills and became undisputed masters of the craft, the tools employed also grew more powerful and sophisticated. Adobe is confident this relationship of mutual growth will continue to flourish.

“Adobe Photoshop has been on the journey with us all along,” says Dolnikov. “And the level of skill that our team has developed with it is remarkable”.

"Wherever there is an interesting, high-value project to be done in the world, we want to be involved," Dolnikov declares.